Guys, these white chicken enchiladas have to be one of my all-time favorite enchilada recipes EVER! This post has been a HUGE reader favorite as well.
They’re cheesy, saucy, and truly downright divine. I promise you will really love these! All that and they come together quickly enough to work for my midweek dinner rotation.
If you love this type 0f enchilada, you might want to try creamy seafood shrimp enchiladas. My shredded beef enchiladas are absolutely heavenly and have an amazing homemade red sauce that is to die for on them. I really hope you try them!!!
If you’re looking for a more traditional chicken enchilada, try my cheesy chicken enchiladas. They’ve been in our families regular dinner rotation for more than a decade! If you’d like an easier version of enchiladas, our green chicken enchilada casserole fits the bill perfectly!
Let’s make these!
What I Love About This Recipe
- Smothered in a rich, tangy, homemade sauce
- Quick to prepare
- Loaded with cheesy goodness!
- No Canned Soup
How To Make White Chicken Enchiladas Recipe
My decadently cheesy enchiladas recipe whips up in less than 45 minutes! A double win — delicious and quick.
- In a bowl, combine chicken and 1 cup of Monterey Jack cheese.
- Fill tortillas with this mixture and roll each one up.
- Arrange the tortillas in the prepared pan.
- Melt butter in a skillet. Sprinkle flour and cook for a minute.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and add chicken broth. Place back on the heat until the sauce thickens.
- Add sour cream and chilies, stir until the sauce is smooth.
- Pour the sauce over the enchiladas. Add the remaining cheese on top.
- Bake.
- Top with green onions and serve.
***See the full instructions below.
Best Chicken To Use For This Recipe
This is a great recipe to use a rotisserie chicken in. It greatly speeds up the prep time and it’s infused with great seasoning.
If you’d prefer, you can use homemade poached chicken or any leftover grilled chicken you happen to have. You can use a combo of white and dark meat or just white or just dark meat per your family’s preference.
White Chicken Enchiladas Recipe Ingredients + Notes
- Diced chiles – Our recipe calls for mild chilies. If your family likes spicy food, you can substitute hotter chilies instead. Another tasty option is fire-roasted chilies. They should be on the shelf near the other canned peppers at your grocery store.
- Chicken – You can cook the chicken according to your favorite method, such as roasting or poaching the breasts. If you’re pressed for time, using a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from your grocer is a great time-saving shortcut. Honestly, 9 times out of 10, that’s what I use.
- Shredded cheese – We love the flavor of Monterey Jack in this dish. It also helps keep the sauce white! If you have a different cheese on hand, feel free to substitute your favorite shredded cheese in this recipe. My son loves when I use Pepper Jack instead of the plain Monterey because it adds another layer of flavor and spice. It might be too spicy for little kiddos though.
- Sour cream – We strongly recommend using full-fat sour cream in this recipe. It’s an important factor in the richness of the sauce. Also, low-fat sour cream tends to separate and get runny when heated. You might end up with gloppy enchiladas!
- Green onions – Don’t have any green onions? A sprinkle of chopped cilantro on top will add a bright flavor, too.
- Tortillas – The recipe calls for using flour tortillas, but if you prefer, you can switch them with corn tortillas. I used fajita sized tortillas.
- Seasoning – I didn’t need to add any salt or pepper to this recipe. The chicken broth I used was very flavorful and had a lot of salt already in it. The chicken was also well seasoned and obviously, the cheese had a good amount of salt.
Tools For This Recipe
- A 9×13 baking pan
- A stovetop skillet
- Mixing bowls
- A whisk: The whisk is important! This helps you get the creamiest, dreamiest sauce imaginable.
How To Shred Cooked Chicken
The quickest and easiest way to shred chicken is to use a handheld mixer or a stand-up mixer. Here’s how:
- Place boneless, cooked chicken in a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand-up mixer.
- Set the mixer on low and mix.
- Et Viola! Perfect shredded chicken in a fraction on the time!!
Storing + Freezing + Meake Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? If you have leftover enchiladas, store them in an airtight container to keep them from drying out. Store in the fridge for 3-4 days for optimal freshness.
- Can You Freeze This? Sour cream can tend to get runny and/or chunky in the freezer. Freezing them will change the texture of the sauce. We suggest freezing the stuffed and rolled enchiladas without the sauce. Then make the white sauce on the day you plan to reheat it and eat it.
- Make-Ahead Tips: If you meal prep at the beginning of the week, these can easily be prepared several days in advance. Store the stuffed and rolled enchiladas in a covered baking dish. Keep the white sauce separate until you plan to cook the enchiladas. This will cut down on soggy tortillas.
- If you’re making the sauce in advance, it may get a bit too thick when it’s cooled and reheated. This is easy to fix. Add whole milk or chicken stock, one tablespoon at a time, during reheating to achieve your desired thickness. Be sure to stir or whisk thoroughly to maintain the creaminess of the sauce.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.
Sour Cream Chicken Enchilada Serving Recommendations
What better way to serve my chicken enchiladas than with a whole Mexican feast? My favorite things to serve with this are my Mexican Rice, charro beans, jalapeno cornbread, Mexican corn salad, and my Southwest salad (my family’s favorite salad! They always eat their veggies when I serve this). All the flavors in the dishes complement each other perfectly and I have a meal on the table that everyone is happy with.
How about some dessert? We like this with our margarita cake (totally nonalchoholic!), pineapple upside down cake, pig pickin cake, or pineapple sheet cake.
If you want to pair this with cocktails, try our pink margarita, pineapple margarita, or our old-fashioned mocktail, lime rickey!
More Delicious Mexican-Inspired Recipes
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
White Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 8-10 small flour tortillas
- 3 cups cooked chicken shredded or chopped
- 3 cups Monterey jack cheese shredded-divided
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chilies mild
- 2-3 tablespoons green onions sliced
Instructions
- Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC).
- In a small bowl, combine chicken (3 cups) and 1 cup of Monterey Jack cheese. Fill tortillas (8-10) with this mixture and roll each one up then place seam side down in the prepared pan.
- Melt the butter (3 tablespoons) in a skillet. Sprinkle flour (3 tablespoons) over melted butter and whisk to combine. Cook for 1 minute to remove the flour taste. Remove the skillet from heat and whisk in broth (2 cups). Place back on the heat and cook until the mixture has thickened and is bubbly. Cool sauce for 3-5 minutes. (Don't skip this step- if the sauce is too hot and you add the sour cream it will curdle it-yuck!). Add sour cream (1 cup) and chilies (1 can) and stir until the sauce is smooth and the sour cream is completely dissolved.
- Pour sauce over enchiladas and add remaining cheese over top. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the enchiladas are heated through and the sauce is bubbly. Turn on the broiler and broil until the top is nicely golden. Top with chopped green onions (2-3 tablespoons) and serve.
Fans Also Made:
Nutrition
Reader Interactions
Comments
Trackbacks
-
[…] White Chicken Enchiladas with Sour Cream White Sauce (via Gonna Want Seconds) […]
-
[…] I’d start with this recipe which is a dang delicious white chicken enchilada casserole. substituting gf flour, and corn tortillas instead of the normal tortillas. This recipe was actually how I stumbled upon the idea of making a roux. And it’s practically fool proof. https://www.gonnawantseconds.com/white-chicken-enchiladas/ […]
-
[…] https://www.gonnawantseconds.com/2015/01/chicken-enchiladas-with-sour-cream-white-sauce/ […]
Tawni says
825 Calories and 51 grams of fat per serving….are you kidding me?????!!!
Kathleen says
Hi, Tawni. Thanks for asking. Yes, that’s per serving. I recalculated it, got almost the same result. 3 cups of Monterey Jack alone has 1264 calories. Maybe you can serve it in small portions. Hope you like it! 🙂
Aften says
It’s got cheese! GIMME ALL THE FAT I CAN GET!!! Delicious, thanks for the recipe! My husband and kiddos LOVE it. I think it’s a new family favorite!
Kathleen says
Hi, Aften! LOL! Thank you for letting us know that your family loved it! It’s really good, right? 🙂
Gina says
Hi Kathleen! Is the calorie count per enchilada? Or if I’m reading correctly, for 1/4 of the entire batch made? Thanks!
Kathleen says
Hi, Gina. Thanks for catching that! Yes, that calorie count is 1/4 of the entire batch. I already updated the serving size to 4-6. I hope you enjoy! 🙂
Karen Reese says
My husband and I really, really LOVED this recipe. It was a perfect recipe and the dish turned out just as it should have. Perfect. We had leftover stuffing so we used it to to makes stuffed jalapeno and cubanell peppers which also were so very good. Thanks for a perfect recipe that really delivers!!
Kathleen says
You made my day Karen! Thanks so much!! I hope you find so more recipes you love on our site <3
Cristina Adams says
I love this recipe. I did however use corn tortillas instead to cut some calories, and they were still divine. The sauce you created is what makes it so delish! Thanks for the recipe!!!
Kathleen says
Thank you Cristina! Corn tortillas are a great swap. So happy you enjoyed the Enchies!! <3
Alessandra Hughes says
I love this recipe, I always make it! Just wondering, could this be freezer friendly?
Kathleen says
Hi, Allesandra. Freezing them will change the texture of the sauce. <3
Miranda says
This looks so amazing, I can’t wait to try it!! Thanks for sharing! Do you think this would taste okay with fat-free sour cream?
Kathleen says
Hi Miranda. I wouldn’t use fat-free in this recipe.
Ashley says
These were fantastic! I added some taco seasoning to the chicken to give it a little extra kick. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Kathleen says
Hi, Ashley! I’m so glad you liked it! Your tweak sounds perfect! 🙂
Joni Holmes says
I make these weekly!
I have made them super low fat to fit my lifestyle.
Even my picky boyfriend likes them.
Kathleen says
I’m so happy to hear that Joni! Thanks so much for leaving a comment and rating the recipe <3
Kathy Swingle says
I was wondering if these could be made the day before? I got some ready as a gift to a friend recovering from surgery. I made the sauce but didn’t put it on the enchiladas. I wrapped the enchiladas up with plastic wrap then covered with foil. I also added a few pieces of bread thinking it might help keep the tortillas soft. I am planning on adding the sauce right before baking. If I had added the sauce the refrigerated would the tortillas get gummy? I also made some for our dinner later. Can’t wait to try them. Thanks!
Kathleen says
Hi Kathy! What a nice friend you are! Yes, I’m afraid that once the sauce is added, they could indeed get gummy or otherwise have an undesirable texture. The flour tortillas are even more susceptible to this than the corn. If at all possible, I would give it to them separately with a little note attached with directions for adding the sauce and then how to bake them.
I hope that helps!<3
Mary perez says
I love this recipe only I don’t use no green Chile’s I’ve been making these for at least 5yrs and it’s still a hit in my home. I just taught my daughter how to make this dish and she loves how easy it is and loaded with creamy cheesy goodness:) this is definitely a keeper recipe.
Kathleen says
Mary, thank you so much for coming back and sharing that! I love that you are still making these and they’re still a hit. I make them all the time to because my family can’t get enough of them <3
Shelby says
Did you cover with foil? Also I have been using plain nonfat yogurt in place of sour cream, and was wondering if it would work the same for this recipe and if so is it the same measurements?
Kathleen Smith says
Hi Shelby. No I didn’t cover it while it baked. The yogurt sounds like a healthy alternative but I haven’t tried it yet. Please let me know if you try it!
Nathan says
Ms. Smith, Just a quick thank you. These are great, also good for taking lunch to work.
Kathleen Smith says
Hey Nathan. You are so welcome! I love having these the next day for lunch too! Thanks for the 5 stars!
Caryl bonenfant says
You know what’s wrong with that recipe? Absolutely nothing❣️
Kathleen Smith says
Caryl you’re so sweet! Thanks for leaving a comment <3
Ashley says
I started making these weekly for my family. They are all extremely picky, but they love these! I prep and assemble everything in the morning minus adding the sauce to them. I cool it and put it in a container in the fridge. When I’m ready to cook I take it out and add it to the dish with tortillas & chicken then sprinkle with cheese. It’s made dinner time so much easier with the prep in the morning. Sometimes by the time dinner time rolls around I have no motivation to cook. Haha
Julie says
This was very good. I did add some spices, and 1 cup of diced onions, saute in butter and added to chicken mixture. I will be making this again.
Kathleen Smith says
Hey Julie glad you enjoyed!
JEREMIAH says
Hi Kathleen 🙂 I’m a bit of a noobie when it comes to cooking. How long would you say the butter/flour/broth mixture takes to thicken? I’m not sure at what heat I should let it simmer and for how long. Can’t wait to try these. Thank you so much for the recipe. 😀
Kathleen Smith says
Hi Jeremiah. The butter/flour/broth mixture will take a few minutes on medium heat. The exact time will vary depending on the exact heat you’re using. 🙂